Let’s face it, if you are a die-hard LOST fan, you are going to love the album art for Hurley because of the reference to the lovable character – Hurley. Whether the album was named originally after him or not is besides the point, the fact they used a reference to a show you care so deeply about – well, it’s pretty awesome. But make no mistake, the packaging for Hurley is a major misstep. While I personally loved the photo of actor Jorge Garcia (I agree with Rivers, I think it’s a very warm photo, and it does convey the warmth surrounding the actor) – some might find it unflattering. The close up zoom on his face, the brown colors in the background. That aside, even if you love the picture, love the reference to the LOST character, the packaging is very lacking. So much so, I didn’t even do a video review because there is nothing to really show. There is no lyric book what so ever. It’s just the slip for the art that folds open, and has a picture of the band. The colors on the side and the back of the case are ugly. Blue and red, that really don’t make sense in contrast to the beige/brown cover. They unfortunately decided to use the same color scheme on the CD disc and the inside tray. Altho the Weezer font on the side looks pretty sweet with the color scheme (I just find it to be overall jarring with the album art).
I’m not sure if it’s their transition to an Indie label, because their past three albums had lyric books. If so, maybe this is why the packaging is lacking. Although plenty of Indie bands have lyric books, so I’m not sure how much of an excuse it really is. Of course, the album itself is really awesome. So if you just want to support your favorite band, then why not. Although I would recommend you buy the digital version over the physical. The only people I can see buying the CD are LOST fans or Die Hard Weezer fans, as there isn’t much to the packaging. Altho I should note, I did not purchase the Deluxe Edition. So I’m not sure if that included the lyric book. If it does, it’s only a couple $ more, but really, this is something basic the normal version should have had.
Verdict: Being a die hard LOST fan, I just take pleasure in having an album with Hurley on it. I’m sure others will as well. As Hurley would say, dude, it’s awesome. But if you are someone that doesn’t care for the art, stay clear from this physical release and just get the digital. You won’t be missing much. Plus you’ll get some awesome bonus tracks not included on this release. I will however be buying the vinyl version, despite my sensibilities.
